Dear Pastor, I Lost My Job

This is a fictional post. I’m not out of work, but I have lost my job a few times and these are all real questions I’ve asked. How does our faith help workplace believers who find themselves in this situation?

I lost my job today. They called it “a reduction in force” which means I’m not totally worthless; I was just doing a job that’s no longer of any value. I guess that’s supposed to make me feel better, but it doesn’t. They gave me a few weeks pay, but I have to pay for my own health insurance and I have to look for work.

I brought a box of my stuff home from work. And my co-workers who are left are really sad for me. I’ve been recommended to some recruiters and an outplacement specialist. He’s got me working on my resume and my LinkedIn profile. But it appears that I’m going to have to take a huge cut in pay.

I have some questions. I guess the first questions are related to “What now?” How am I supposed to act?

What do I say when people ask me what I want to do? I want to get a job, just about any job. I need to get my income back where it was. In 3 months, we won’t have any money.

Where is God in all of this? I’m scared. Does anything in the Bible really matter if you’re out of work? How do words on a page make any difference?

I don’t want charity. I feel like I’m less than a man if I take handouts from friends or people from church. But in a few weeks, we won’t have enough money to pay our bills. Either I emasculate myself or I bankrupt my family. Why does God let people get into this situation? I wish I’d saved more money.

How can I see Christ work in this? Where is he and what is he doing? How will he ever make anything positive out of this?

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Mike Henry Sr.

Mike is the Founder and Lead Instigator of Follower of One. He loves to mobilize believers to make a positive difference. His mission is to elevate purpose and mobilize people and his goal is to live his life as a full-time minister, regardless of his occupation.

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